Laminates are often used in the automotive industry for interior trim components such as armrests, consoles, headrests, pillars, and vehicle seats. A typical lamination process uses a flat bed laminator in conjunction with a continuous belt conveyor to form the laminate. Layers of materials that are to be laminated are fed to the laminator by the conveyor. The laminate is formed when the laminator heats the layers of materials, applies pressure to bond these layers together, and then cools the bonded layers.
Current processes require that the laminate first be created and then die cut to a particular contour to fit a particular interior trim component, such as an A pillar. Separately, an interior of the component is injection molded, and then the laminate is tightly wrapped and stitched, stapled, or glued about the interior to form the component. In other words, in the prior art, a three step process is required to form the interior trim component. Such processes, which typically include the steps of forming the laminate, separately injection molding the interior of the component, and attaching the laminate to the interior of the component, are inefficient and costly.
Additionally, when the interior of the component is separately formed and the laminate is subsequently attached to the interior, any space between the laminate and the interior allows the laminate to expand or contract under the temperatures that are realized in a passenger compartment of a vehicle or truck. For example, the passenger compartment can realize temperatures above 79 degrees C. in summer months, resulting in considerable expansion of the laminate and undesirable slack between the laminate and the interior. On the other hand, in winter months, the passenger compartment can realize temperatures well below 0 degrees C., resulting in considerable contraction of the laminate and undesirable tears, or other defects, in the laminate.
Furthermore, it is generally understood that if the laminate includes a barrier layer, such as in low-pressure injection molding, the barrier layer of the laminate functions to establish a resistive barrier between the interior of the component and the face layer of the laminate so that the interior of the component does not affect the aesthetic, decorative, textile-like appearance of the face layer. The barrier layers utilized in the laminates of the prior art are deficient. For example, in low-pressure injection molding, where the interior of the component may be injection molded, not separate from, but in combination with the laminate, the barrier layers are not heavy enough to prevent the interior of the component, such as a polymer that is being injection molded, from penetrating into the face layer. Furthermore, the types of barrier layers used in low-pressure injection molding cannot withstand the extreme pressures and temperatures associated with high-pressure injection molding where pillars and the like are produced. Accordingly, these particular barrier layers cannot be suitably applied to high-pressure injection molding.
Due to the deficiencies in the interior components and the methods of the prior art, including those described above, it is desirable to provide an interior trim component and a method of forming the interior trim component where the barrier layer functions to adequately prevent the interior of the component from interfering with the decorative appearance of the face layer of the laminate, even in a high-pressure injection molding method. It is also an advantage of the present invention that the laminate is positioned in an injection molding apparatus before the interior of the component is injection molded such that the laminate can bond with a polymer that forms the interior, during the molding method, thereby reducing associated costs of material covering, including labor, while also virtually eliminating any space between the laminate and the interior.